AI and its Impact on Warfare

Over the past decade, there has been a huge push in evolution and technological advancements from self-driving cars to even robots making coffee. At the forefront of this technological revolution is Artificial Intelligence(AI). However, AI isn’t only just helping companies and businesses increase their reach but rather has global implications militarily. 

AI in the Military

AI is used in 3 major ways in the military: Autonomous weapons systems, cyber warfare, and predictive analysis. Autonomous weapon systems include drones and unmanned vehicles. These systems use pre-programmed algorithms, sensor data, and real-time data analytics. The second is cyber warfare. Although this sounds like something from the Terminator, this technology plays a vital role in cyber operations, from malware detection to launching cyber attacks on foreign enemies. The final use is predictive analysis. This enables military officials to analyze vast amounts of data to make calculated and informed decisions. Predictive analysis can help optimize resource usage and identify potential threats. 

AI and International Humanitarian Law

Unlike humans, AI doesn’t have a conscience, complicating its interactions with IHL. IHL and AI in warfare interact in a multitude of ways: 

1. Legal Accountability

When AI makes decisions on the battlefield, it becomes challenging to correlate the actions to a specific human operator. In the case of IHL violation, there is no way currently to hold AI companies or operators accountable. To combat this, international action needs to add AI into IHL laws such as the Geneva Convention. 

1. Civilian Casualties

AI's ability to make split-second decisions may reduce the margin of error in targeting, but it doesn't eliminate the risk of civilian casualties. However, as technology improves, the accuracy rate also increases exponentially. For example, The US Air Force has begun implementing facial recognition into its autonomous drones. The technology has a 98.85 percent accuracy. 

Overall, as technology begins to weave itself into warfare, it is important to address its implications, both positive and negative, to truly understand its reach. Policymakers should evaluate these factors and seek regulation to protect international humanitarian law. 

Sources:

US Department Of Defense

ICRC

ICRC

TechSpot

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